Heat, LeBron stifle Knicks, Carmelo in 100-67 series-opening win

The doubt about where the Miami Heat stood in the wake of late-season injuries and erratic play.

The concern about whether the New York Knicks could steal this best-of-seven opening-round playoff series opener, after their strong finishing kick to the regular season.

The worry about LeBron James picking up in these playoffs where he ended amid struggles in last season's championship run.

Now?

Now there merely is a 1-0 series lead after Saturday's 100-67 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena, where the Heat not only quieted the Knicks but also shut up those ubiquitous Knicks fans who otherwise tend to make their considerable presence known.

"Our guys had a noticeable look in their eyes the last 24 hours," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the ferocity that did not let up for these 2 1/2 hours.

The Heat finished two points from matching their largest-ever postseason margin of victory, but the 67 points did tie a Knicks playoff low in the shot-clock era.

"We have 48 hours and it's our responsibility to make sure we have the same look coming into Game 2," Spoelstra said. "Now there shouldn't be any excuse."

With a 24-2 run to close the second quarter, the Heat already had the Knicks looking for answers in Monday's 7 p.m. Game 2 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

And had Carmelo Anthony talking to himself, after the Knicks' late-season star missed his first seven shots and did not convert a basket until 2:07 remained in the second period.

"The shot wasn't falling, I turned the ball over," he said. "It was just one of those days. I didn't play well. For me, I have to make some major adjustments."

Anthony closed 3 of 15 for 11 points.

"They hit us in the mouth," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said, "so we've got to see what we're made of now."

As might have been expected, James was at the heart of that second-period whirlwind and front and center in the box score, closing with 32 points.

"I was happy I was able to attack," he said. "I'm just trying to be in attack mode throughout these games."

He shot 10 of 14 from the field and 11 of 14 from the line, sitting out the entire fourth quarter.

"LeBron really led the way, obviously attacking, getting to the free throw line," Spoelstra said. "He was on the back line of our defense, like a free safety, reading the offense in front of us." A flagrant foul by Knicks center Tyson Chandler on James, a forearm shove to James' back while setting a midcourt screen, triggered a five-point Heat possession by James during the closing stages of the second-quarter surge.

"It was a hard foul and we were able to gather ourselves, and that was a good sign, that it didn't spill over into anything else," Spoelstra said.

It was a moment that sent James to even another level.

"At both ends of the court, it seemed like he had his hands on every single play," Spoelstra said of James' ensuing fury. "It was an impactful three-minute run there."

And it just kept getting worse for the Knicks, who lost starting shooting guard Iman Shumpert in the third quarter with a torn ACL.

Of James, Woodson said, "He's on a mission and he's played that way all year."

For the Heat, it was all good health, with Dwyane Wade showing no signs of setback with the left index finger he dislocated a week ago, and with Chris Bosh showing no limitations with a strained hamstring that had him out the final two weeks of the regular season.

Wade closed with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, extending his franchise record of double-figure games in the playoffs to 85. Bosh added nine points and six rebounds, capable of more if not limited to 24 minutes.

"It was just good to be out there and play basketball," Bosh said. "I love playing basketball. It seemed like a very long time that I was out."

Yet for all the offensive dramatics, including the 3-pointer by James just before the third-quarter buzzer that pushed the Heat to an 81-47 lead, this just as much was about the Heat's defense, which set a franchise single-game postseason record for points off turnovers, with 38 off 27 New York turnovers. The previous record was 31 points.

"In this series, it's all about taking care of the ball," said Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire, who was limited to nine points on 2-of-7 shooting. "Once you turn the ball over with that team, that's when they shine."

Just as they did against the Knicks' Jeremy Lin in their final game before the late-February All-Star break, smothering the now-sidelined breakout point guard into submission, the Heat did the same this time with Anthony, fronting him with a ferocity that clearly was devised in the team's pre-playoff laboratory the final days of the regular season.

With foul trouble eventually limiting the Knicks' Stoudemire and Baron Davis, and with Chandler not himself due to a stomach flu that nearly kept him from playing, Game 1 could not have gone much better for the Heat.

In was the worst playoff loss for the Knicks since 1991 against the Chicago Bulls.

The Knicks have been swept in the first round in each of their previous two playoff appearances, now on an 11-game playoff losing streak, the longest active run in the NBA and the longest in Knicks history.

The Knicks' most-recent playoff victory remains April 29, 2001 against the Toronto Raptors.